Disney Digest 7/17/24 (Disneyland’s Birthday, Emmy Nominations, Acolyte’s End, and More)

Happy Birthday Disneyland!

As far back as I can remember, there were two days that were special to me: July 17th and November 18th. Back in the day, Disney Channel would celebrate these days with special programming that made them de facto Disney holidays long before May the Fourth and Stitch Day held any meaning. While I was not able to be at Disneyland today, it will always be a time to celebrate the legacy of the happiest place on Earth.

As I look at the state of Disneyland, I see both exciting prospects and interesting challenges. DisneylandForward is an exciting level of investment that will undoubtedly be the next great “resort expansion” that will lead to the next decade of exciting Disney projects. But if you take a short term view, Disneyland is facing a labor crisis as Disneyland tries to contain costs while their cast has to face record levels of inflation. On the project front, the only attraction being built is actually a conversion with Splash Mountain turning into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

I recently spent a day at Disneyland and the park felt tired. Many things were in disrepair and there was a noticeable decrease in energy. Even the much anticipated return of Fantasmic! showed that it basically resulted in making the b-show the new normal. It also raised the question whether the long closure was more about saving money than redevelopment. Neither of Disneyland or Disney California Adventure’s theaters are not showing shows even during the peak of the summer.

Disneyland needs some TLC. I love expansion, but let's hope that some of the $60 billion Disney is going to spend will be used to restore the parks that we have already fallen in love with. Disney fans from around the world are going to be heading to the park in just a few weeks. Unfortunately, it won’t be able to put its best foot forward.

Disney Goes Big with Emmy Noms

The Walt Disney Company received a record-breaking 183 nominations for the Primetime Emmy Awards, which will happen to be broadcast on ABC on September 15. Disney also had the three most nominated series with Shogun, The Bear, and Only Murders in the Building. In addition, Ahoska got five nominations while Marvel’s Echo, Loki, and X-Men ‘97. Disney’s The Beach Boys documentary was recognized from The Walt Disney Studios and Disney Branded Television’s Jim Henson Idea Man was the most recognized documentary of the year.

20th Century Studios had a nomination for Quiz Lady while National Geographics’ Secrets of the Octopus, Queens, and Life Below Zero were nominated. At the actual broadcast network Abbott Elementary, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Oscars, The Golden Bachelor and Dancing with the Stars were among the nominees.

There is no way to deny that Disney has seen major awards success across their content engines. While many are still trying to figure out how The Bear is a comedy, the show's 23 nominations made it one of the most nominated shows of the year while Shogun was the most-nominated show with 26. Congrats to all of those involved with these programs and good luck in just a few weeks.

Did You Stick with The Acolyte?

Spoiler Alert… but The Acolyte season finale did not wrap everything up and implied that further adventures will be needed to further tell the story. But the big question is will they have that chance. The show has seen a significant drop in viewership as the series rolled-out, which may put an additional season in doubt.

We have seen several Disney+ series be cut short. For example, further seasons of Willow were clearly teased but that was not meant to be. In fact, the whole series has been wiped from existence. But what happens if fans feel that a Star Wars series may not be able to tell the entire story? Will fans be less likely to watch other series if they feel they may be let down? These Star Wars shows are important to the Disney+ strategy, but every franchise, even Star Wars, needs to be managed to survive. Fans will want to know that their investment will have a payoff.

Personally, The Acolyte was my most anticipated Star Wars series. While I really enjoyed the start, in recent weeks I felt the show grounded to a halt. But despite that, I wanted to see how things played out. Although I was not really surprised by the outcome, I did feel a bit unsatisfied as you can tell the show wanted to connect itself to the prequels. The show had its faults, but I hope that someday we will get to know the full story. However, I am fully cognizant that we live in a more frugal time for content. If the viewership isn’t there, will Disney continue with the show? It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Quick Hits

 

6 Things to Watch For Tomorrow